Gray demands more color, more wattage...
Go easy with the powder
When you've gone gray, or white, or salt-and-pepper, your skin can look washed-out and dull. So use a luminizing, moisturizing foundation, and apply powder only where you absolutely need it, says New York City makeup artist Mally Roncal.
Wear blush
It makes every complexion more vibrant, says Roncal. If you're fair skinned, choose a light English rose; medium or olive, choose a bright peony; and if you're dark complexioned, choose a rich, candy pink. Sweep the blush onto the apples of your cheeks for an instantly brightening effect.
Line your lips
As you mature, lips lose their natural contour. Restore it by tracing your lips with a nude lip liner before applying gloss or lipstick.
Pick a rich lipcolor
Try juicy-looking lipcolors in pink, berry, peach, or apricot tones. (Avoid nudes and browns—they can look muddy.) Choose a color a few shades more intense than your natural lip tone.
Brighten up your eyes
Sweep a wash of linen-colored shadow onto your lids (this pale color reflects more light than a dark, smoky one), thicken the lashline with a stroke of liner, curl your lashes, and apply two coats of mascara. If your lashes are sparse, use a lash primer before mascara; the primer conditions and coats the lashes, making them look thicker, says Lisa Garner (the New York City makeup artist who did the makeup for this story). If black mascara looks harsh, try a brown or navy. Drag the wand outward and upward at the same time—your eyes will appear wider, and you'll look more awake.
Forget basic black
The stark contrast between jet black eyeliner and gray hair is more jarring than dramatic. So choose liners in softer, lava-like shades such as bronze and deep plum, says New York City makeup artist Trish McEvoy.
Pay attention to your brows
Fill in sparse brows with a pencil. If you're fair and your brows are light, choose a light to medium taupe shade; if you're olive or dark complexioned, and your brows are dark, try a deep, cool brown. For silver or salt-and-pepper brows, use a blue-gray pencil, says Eliza Petrescu, eyebrow expert at the Exhale Spa in New York City. And since brows lose their "tails" as you age, extend them in wispy strokes toward your temples.
